Turmoil
by Firenza
Summary: Michael and Maria's relationship reaches a breaking point as the gang arrives in New York. Post Graduation fic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own the characters. Just the story. Chapter 1 of 2. Bittersweet for Candy fans. Michael and Maria are featured but I cannot guarantee a happy ending.

Turmoil

"I got nothing open, miss." The night manager told Maria as soon as she entered the musty old motel.

"Thanks anyway," Maria said as she hurried back toward the van. "No vacancy, guys." The others sighed, frustrated.

Liz tried to raise our spirits, "Did we really want to stay in that filthy place anyway?"

"I'm tired. I don't care where we stay," Isabel whined.

"There's another place just up the road." Max said trying to be reasonable.

"I don't know why we're looking for hotels in Jersey when we could just go into New York." Kyle said irritably.

"Do you really think finding a hotel in New York's going to be any easier?" Max asked.

"Anything's better than this," Isabel said.

"I thought you were tired!" Max snapped at his sister.

"Let's just go to New York and shut the girls up, Maxwell." Michael said reasonably.

"Hey!" yelled Kyle offended.

"Just ignore him. It's what everybody else does." Maria said.

"Stay out of it, Maria." Michael snapped back.

"Both of you just be shut up. I'm so sick of you arguing," Isabel yelled speaking for everyone else in the van.

"Let's just go to New York," Liz suggested.

"Fine."

An hour later, the van pulled up in front of a scary looking motel in Brooklyn. "Are you sure this is the neighborhood we should be staying in?" Isabel asked.

"It does look a little rough, Maria." Liz added.

"You guys, this place is fine. We're in Brooklyn and we don't have a lot of money. What did you expect? Besides, this area has an awesome music scene and I definitely want to catch a performance or two while we're here. I even heard--"

Maria was cut off by Michael, "You're babbling."

"Whatever. Let's just go get our rooms." Maria opened the van door and stalked out.

Michael also got out of the van quickly but he didn't follow her. Instead, he announced, "I'm going for a walk."

The others heard Maria mutter, "Typical."

Isabel sighed.

Max and Liz shared a concerned look.

Kyle just shook his head.

The arguments between Michael and Maria were becoming more frequent and more hostile. Half the time, Max was sure that they had no idea what they were actually arguing about and that they really didn't care as long as they got to yell at each other. Michael and Maria used to enjoy arguing. Max had never really understood why but Liz knew that Maria enjoyed the 'making up' part of her arguments with Michael. Unfortunately, the "making up" rarely happened anymore. The pressure of being on the run was taking its toll on their relationship and their arguments were taking their toll on everyone else. Liz had a feeling that Maria was thinking about leaving the group but she knew that it was impossible. Max would never allow her to leave. It was too dangerous. Maria couldn't be by herself. Not with the FBI was still searching for them. They'd had a couple of close calls over the last two years. They had barely escaped from Boston. The FBI had set a trap for them. Jesse had been captured and tortured. Isabel insisted that we go to Boston and save him. No one had argued. But when the gang arrived, Jesse was dead and the FBI had them trapped. They escaped only by sheer luck.

Max paid for two rooms and Isabel mind warped the clerk making him believe that the rooms were given to two elderly couples in town for a wedding. Isabel immediately went to bed and Max went to look for Michael. Liz tried to talk to Maria but she and Kyle had gone to find something to eat. Liz had a bad feeling. It seemed like she always had a bad feeling lately. She was always so worried. She worried about her parents; she worried about Max: and most of all she worried about Maria. Maria was defenseless. She was the only member of the group without alien powers, the only member of the group who had the chance to live a normal life. Liz also worried about the deterioration of Maria's relationship with Michael. Something had changed between the two of them after what happened in Boston. It was like Michael had shut down again and Maria did have the strength or the will to tear those walls down one more time. That's what kept Liz awake at night. The Maria, she remembered, was strong and feisty. She never backed down and when she wanted something, she got it. But Maria has been so subdued lately. Life on the run seems to have sucked all the spirit right out of her. Liz could handle the FBI. She could handle the constant danger. But, she could not handle the fact that Maria was slowly dying inside and that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Kyle and Maria found a coffee shop a few blocks from the motel. They ate their bagels and drank their coffee in silence. A woman was playing the guitar on a small stage in the back of the shop. Maria was watching her wistfully. She longed for her guitar, for her music and the freedom it offered. She longed for an outlet for her pain. Maria and Kyle stayed in the coffee shop long after their drinks were gone. It wasn't until the young woman left the stage that Maria looked at the clock. They had been gone for three hours. Reluctantly, she shook Kyle and motioned for him to follow her outside. On the way out the door, someone handed Maria a flyer. It was for a show by some band called Desert Star. The name reminded Maria of home and she decided that whether the others liked it or not, she was going to that show.

The next day, the gang split up to explore the city. Maria was, of course, paired with Michael. He was being his usual pleasant self and Maria was extremely short tempered. They got into a fight not an hour after everyone spilt up. Michael went back to the motel while Maria decided she wanted to go back to the coffee shop she and Kyle had visited the night before. Maria was surprised to see the young woman from the night before behind the counter. She recognized Maria and started a conversation.

"Back again?"

"Yeah, I kind of like this place."

"That's what I said when I first got to New York. Now I work here during the day and play here at night. My name is Emma by the way."

"I'm Maria."

Emma nodded toward the stage. "Do you play?"

Maria hesitated. "I used to."

"Oh, yeah? I have my guitar. You can play if you want. The stage is free until 6."

Emma watched as Maria's face expressed her internal debate. "I don't know."

"Give it a try." Maria smiled. "Ok."

So, Maria sat down on the little stage and played. She played every song that she could remember and she even made up one or two. She sang until her voice began to waver. She was surprised when she finally looked up to see that a crowd had gathered to watch her sing. She smiled at them shyly and stood up.

Emma came over and gave her a hug. Maria was startled. "You just seemed so sad up there."

Maria laughed. "I feel great now."

"You should. Music is the best therapy this city has to offer." Emma smiled.

Maria pulled out the flyer for Desert Star. "I was thinking about going to this show tonight. Are you free?" Maria asked.

"No, sorry. My boyfriend has a show tonight in Williamsburg."

"Virginia?" Maria asked.

Emma laughed. "No, the neighborhood. It's not too far from here. Why don't you come?" 

"Sure."

"Meet me here at 9 and we'll head over together."

Back at the hotel, Max was getting nervous. "What do you mean you just let her go by herself?

Michael shot his friend an annoyed look. "I came back here. I thought she'd follow me."

"The fighting has got to stop, Michael. It's driving everyone nuts and it's putting Maria in danger."

Michael's eyes flashed dangerously, "Are you saying that I'm putting Maria in danger?"

Liz jumped in before the conversation turned ugly. "You know how she gets when you fight, Michael. She doesn't think. She just reacts."

"I just wish we knew where she was."

Then Kyle had an idea. "We went to this coffee shop last night and Maria really loved it. Maybe she went back."

"That's a good idea, Kyle. Why don't you and Michael check it out? The rest of us can wait here." Max said taking charge as usual.

Kyle and Michael got lost three times on the way to the coffee shop and Michael was in a terrible mood.

When they finally got there, Maria was nowhere to be found. They were about to leave when the chick from last night called out to Kyle, "You just missed your friend."

"Oh?" he responded a bit confused.

"She was here for a while. She looked sad so I let her borrow my guitar. Man, can she sing."

Kyle smiled but Michael looked nervous. "She was singing?"

"Yeah, she had quite an audience."

"That's great. Thanks."

"No problem. Remind her about the show tonight."

"I will." Kyle promised.

Michael stormed outside and started muttering to himself. Kyle ignored him and walked back toward the motel. When they got there, Maria was in the shower and Isabel dragged Kyle off to go see some chick flick that just opened. Michael was upset so Max decided to take him out to get his mind off of things. Liz fell asleep around 8:30 so Maria decided to go meet Emma. She didn't want Liz to panic when she woke up so she left a note explaining her plans and promising to call should anything change.

Emma was waiting outside the coffee shop and she smiled as she saw Maria running toward her. "I didn't think that you were going to show up."

Maria smiled, "I almost didn't."

"Well we better get moving. The show starts in ten minutes."

Maria was pleasantly surprised to discover that Emma's boyfriend was playing at the same showcase as Desert Star the band whose name had reminded her so much of Roswell. Emma and Maria went backstage to find Emma's boyfriend John. He wasn't scheduled to perform for another hour. They found him tuning his guitar with a group of musicians. Emma introduced everyone to Maria and then went to get drinks. Maria struck up a conversation with an interesting looking guy holding drum sticks. She asked him about Desert Star and he told her all about them with awe. When he mentioned that the lead singer was from New Mexico, Maria smiled. Their conversation was interrupted by Emma who yelled for Maria to follow her. Maria excused herself and ran after Emma.

When she finally caught up with her, Emma was talking to another group of musicians. "Hey, Maria. I was just telling the guys about your little performance at the coffee shop today."

Maria smiled awkwardly. "It wasn't really a performance. I just played a little."

"Don't listen to her. She sat there for three hours just singing and playing from her heart it was beautiful."

The guys smiled at Maria and Emma was about to continue singing her praises when a familiar voice interrupted, "Don't you guys ever practice before a show?"

"Hey, Billy."

"What's up, man?" A few of the guys called out in greeting.

Maria turned toward the new guy and was shocked to see a familiar face. "Well, look who finally made it to the city!"

"Billy!"

A/N: Small cliffhanger. Read and review. Chapter 2 coming soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Characters are not mine. Just the ideas. This is the second and final chapter. Bittersweet for all the Candy fans.

Turmoil

"Billy!"

"Hey, Ria. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Just passing through," she replied evasively and then changed the subject, "You playing tonight?"

"Yep."

Emma decided to but in, "You guys know each other?"

Billy answered her. "We went to band camp together."

"It was a songwriters' workshop." Maria interrupted.

"Cool."

Turning toward Maria, Billy asked, "Hey, are you sticking around?"

"Yeah, why?" Billy smiled. "You'll see."

* * *

"For our last song," Billy said to the audience, "I need a little help from a friend."

The audience cheered and Emma squealed in Maria's ear. "Maria, could you come out here."

"What the hell?"

"Get out there!" Emma said as she pushed Maria toward the stage.

"There she is everybody."

Maria walked on stage and whispered to Billy, "I'm going to kill you." Billy just smiled and handed her a microphone as the band began to play.

As the band played the final notes of the song, Maria couldn't stop smiling. She didn't know if it was the song, the crowd, the alcohol, or Billy but she was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. The rest of the night is kind of fuzzy because Maria, Billy, and her new friends went out to a couple bars. She remembers going back to Billy's place and calling Liz and telling her that she would be back in the morning but she doesn't remember much else. She knows that she and Billy stayed up and talked for a long time and that they sang a few songs together. She knows that she fell asleep on Billy's couch and that Billy fell asleep on the floor. And she knows that when she woke up she was happy despite her hangover. Billy made her breakfast and then he gave her his phone number and told her to stay in touch and that if she was serious about her music, she should come back and he could introduce her to a few people. Maria smiled and said good bye. She was pretty sure that she would never see him again and her happiness left her as she walked back to the motel. She knew that she was probably in trouble. She wasn't supposed to go out by herself let alone stay out all night. It was dangerous. She was an easy target and she had no way to protect herself. Michael would be furious. Maria sighed. She was so sick of the alien drama.

* * *

Back at the motel, Michael was angry, angrier than Max had seen him in a long time. "Tell me exactly what she said again, Liz."

"She said that she was at a friend's place and that she'd be back in the morning. When I tried to get more information from her, she hung up. I'm pretty sure that she was drunk but she didn't sound scared or sad. She actually sounded happy."

"Did she say anything else?"

"I told you everything already, Michael. I'm getting sick of repeating myself."

Max broke in before Michael could respond. "We'll give her another hour before we start searching."

"Uh, guys . . . ," Kyle said from the window, "That won't be necessary. Maria just got out of a cab."

Michael flung the door open and demanded angrily, "Where were you?"

Maria sighed. "I went out with Emma from the coffee shop last night. We went to a concert."

"Maria, you don't even know her. She could be a spy or something."

"God, Michael. It's not an alien thing, alright."

"It's still dangerous to stay with strangers." Max said reasonably.

Maria looked away guiltily before she said, "I didn't stay with a stranger last night." The group was stunned.

Michael looked like he had swallowed something sour. "Then who did you stay with, Maria?"

She didn't answer and Kyle cleared his throat. "Well, umm, I have to go do, umm, something in the other room." He left quickly sensing that Maria's answer would lead to another argument.

Isabel and Max followed his lead but Liz lingered. She didn't want Maria and Michael to have this confrontation. She knew that it would end badly. She knew that it would change things forever. Max grabbed her arm and gently pulled her from the room. "This is between them," he whispered. Liz looked at her best friend one last time before she left the room.

"What happened, Maria?" Michael demanded.

"Nothing happened, Michael. I just . . . ."

"What?"

"I ran into Billy at the concert."

"Billy! Billy from band camp, Billy?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe this!"

"All I did was sing with him! There's no reason for you to get so upset."

"Maria you got drunk and you slept at your old boyfriend's apartment instead of coming back here!"

"So, what?" Maria yelled as she threw her hands up in the air. "Nothing happened!"

"He's in love with you!"

"That was two and a half years ago. He's over it."

"You're not an easy person to forget, Maria."

She was near tears now. "I just want to be happy, Michael."

"Billy makes you happy?"

"I don't know but last night was the best night I've had since high school. I sang onstage again. I made new friends. I didn't have to worry about anything alien related."

"Maria."

"I can't do this anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you leave New York, I can't go with you."

"You can't be by yourself. Don't you remember what happened to Jesse?"

"I remember."

"Then you see why you can't leave us."

"I have to, Michael."

"You'll die."

"If I stay with you, I'll die anyway. At least here, I'll have a chance to be happy. I wasn't meant to live a life on the run."

He didn't know what to say. "Maria, I . . . ."

"I know, Space Boy, I know."

* * *

For her safety, Isabel changed Maria's hair and eye color. She was no longer a green eyed blonde. Maria now had dark brown hair and grey eyes. Maria took on a new identity. She became Victoria Lucas. Isabel managed to change Maria's old driver's license and social security card to match her new identity and her new look. She and Liz cried as they said goodbye. Michael didn't say a word. Isabel promised to dream walk her every week to update her on their journey and to check up on her. Again Michael said nothing. Max told her that they would probably never see each other again and that he hoped she had a great life. Kyle told her that he'd tell her mom that she was ok the next time the gang passed through Roswell. Maria hugged them all one last time and left.

If Billy was surprised to find Maria at his door with a duffle bag, his expression didn't betray it. All he said was, "I like the hair."

She just laughed and said, "It's different."


End file.
